1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to dispensers for dispensing one or more compounds under pressure. In one of its aspects, the invention relates to a dispenser for spraying a cleaning composition on a surface to be cleaned. In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a dispenser for dispensing a mixture to neutralize a chemical or biological species. In still another aspect, the invention relates to a dispenser for dispensing a mixture of at least two components that react to perform a desired chemical reaction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many types of compositions in fields ranging from cleaning to health and beauty aids, paints, arts and crafts and neutralization of chemical and biological agents comprise one or more components that have optimal performance when mixed or activated just prior to or at the point of use. For example, the performance of cleaning compositions with an oxidizing agent deteriorates over a relatively short time if the cleaning composition and oxidizing agent are stored together in a single chamber. In another example, most at-home hair-dying kits require the colorant to be stored separately from the activator.
Various systems have been developed to separately store two-component compositions and mix the components during or immediately prior to use. For example, in the field of cleaning, the Choy et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,055 discloses an apparatus for cleaning a hard surface, such as kitchen and bathroom tile, comprising a dual chamber bottle having a spray applicator for dispensing a mixture of compositions from each of the two chambers. One of the chambers contains a builder or chelating agent composition and the other chamber includes a hypohalite or hypohalite generator such as sodium hypochlorite as a bleaching agent. The two components of the composition are mixed upon spraying onto a surface.
The Kobyashi et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,869,440 and the Unilever PCT Publication No. WO 95/16023 both disclose two part bleaching compositions which comprise a peroxide composition and a detergent composition which are stored separately and sprayed onto hard surfaces at the time of combination.
The Van Dyck et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,635,372 discloses a housing mounting a pair of aerosol chambers, one containing an incapacitating fluid and the other containing a gas. The aerosol chambers have output valves that are connected through tubes to an output nozzle and a whistle. A trigger is pivotally mounted to the housing and moves laterally to displace a vertically movable actuator for simultaneously opening both aerosol valves in the chambers for dispensing the fluid and gas in the chambers.
The Breslau et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,303,970 and the Safianoff U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,319 disclose a pair of aerosol dispensing chambers having different fluids that are dispensed through outlet valves connected through tubing to a single dispensing orifice. The outlet valves are actuated simultaneously by a trigger that is pivotally mounted to a frame that holds the aerosol chambers. Rotation of the trigger forces the valves downwardly to open the valves simultaneously.
Another field that utilizes compositions that have one or more components that should not be mixed or activated until just prior to or at the point of use is the field of chemical and biological neutralization and decontamination. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,566,574 to Tadros et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,390,432 to Tucker, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,271,137, 6,723,890 and 7,125,497 to Tucker et al., herein incorporated in full by reference, disclose multi-component formulations for neutralizing several types of chemical and biological species. The formulations include at least one reactive component, comprising an oxidizing agent, a nucleophilic agent, a reducing agent, an acid or combinations thereof that reacts with the chemical or biological species to neutralize it and render it effectively harmless to human and animal life. The formulations can be provided in kits that store the reactive component separately from the rest of the formulation until just prior to use. Storing the reactive component separately can increase the stability, shelf-life and effectiveness of the formulation.
The basic components of these neutralizing and decontamination formulations include one or more solubilizing agents and one or more reactive compounds. Additionally, the formulations can include a peroxide activator or a bleaching activator. The solubilizing agent can be a cationic surfactant, a cationic hydrotrope, a fatty alcohol or mixtures thereof. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,566,574 and 6,723,890 disclose formulations that comprise one or more solubilizing agents to solubilize the chemical or biological species for reaction with the reactive compound. The reactive compound can be selected from the group comprising hydrogen peroxide, urea hydrogen peroxide, an activated peroxide compound (such as hydrogen peroxide and a bicarbonate salt), hydroperoxycarbonate, oximates, alkoxides, aryloxides, aldehydes, peroxymonosulfate, Fenton's reagent and sodium hypochlorite.
The neutralizing and decontamination formulation can also contain one or more peroxide activators selected from the group consisting of potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium hydrogen bicarbonate, lithium bicarbonate, ammonium carbonate, and potassium carbonate.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,271,137 and 7,390,432 disclose a neutralizing and decontamination formulation similar to those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,566,574 and 6,723,890 called DF-200. DF-200 comprises one or more solubilizing agents, one or more reactive compounds and a bleaching activator. The bleaching activator improves the reaction kinetics of the reactive compound and can eliminate the need to adjust the pH of the formulation. Suitable bleaching activators include compounds selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol diacetate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, methyl acetate, dimethyl glutarate, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, glycerol diacetate (Diacetin), glycerol monoacetate, glycerol triacetate, propylene glycol diacetate, tetraacetyl ethylenediamine (TAED), and n-nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate (NOBS).
U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,497 discloses a formulation for neutralizing toxic industrial chemicals comprising a cationic surfactant and hydrotrope as a solubilizing agent and one or more reactive compounds. The reactive compounds can be an acid, such as sodium sulfate and acetic acid, or a reducing compound, such as sodium bisulfite or sodium borohydride, for example.
The neutralizing and decontamination formulations can be provided in two-part kits wherein the reactive component is stored separately from the solubilizing agents and activators. The two parts of the kit can be mixed just prior to use.